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The latest episode of "House of the Dragon" confirms that Westeros' civil war started because two Targaryens have the same name and fans can't stop laughing at this plot point.
The brewing civil war started officially in season one, episode eight, after King Viserys Targaryen (Paddy Considine) accidentally caused confusion over who should succeed him in episode seven.
At the beginning of the episode, Viserys reiterates that his first daughter, Rhaenyra (Emma D'Arcy), is his heir. But just before the king dies at the end of the episode, he hallucinates and talks about an Aegon being "the prince that was promised" to unite the realm.
It is clear to the audience Viserys is talking about "The Song of Ice and Fire" prophecy, but Alicent Targaryen (Olivia Cooke), who is in the room at the time, believes her husband is talking about their son Aegon II (Tom Glynn-Carney), so she puts him on the throne in the next episode.
In season two, episode three finally confirmed that Viserys was talking about Aegon the Conqueror, Viserys' grandfather.
In the latest episode, Rhaenyra sneaks into King's Landing to talk to her stepmother, Alicent Targaryen, about how they can stop the impending civil war over who should rule Westeros.
Ollie Upton / HBO
While explaining her decision to support Aegon as king to Rhaenyra, Alicent claims Viserys called Aegon "the prince that was promised to unite the realm."
Rhaenyra is shocked when Alicent mentions these words, revealing to Alicent that Viserys was actually talking about the prophecy of "The Song of Ice and Fire," conceived by Aegon the Conqueror.
Yes, The Dance of the Dragons war began because Alicent got confused about two Targaryens named Aegon.
"The Song of Ice and Fire" prophecy is meant to be kept between the Targaryen kings and queens, meaning Viserys likely thought he was talking to Rhaenyra on his deathbed in season one, episode seven.
Alicent seems to realize her mistake but knows it is no longer possible to rectify the error and stop the war.
This new development was not adapted from George R. R. Martin's "Fire and Blood" novel, the series' source material. Still, fans seem to have welcomed the change, making multiple memes about Alicent's realization of her mistake.
While "House of the Dragon" is already a global hit series, its weekly release format allows fans to talk and joke about each episode individually, creating bigger hype for the show.
If the Targaryens learn one thing from this entire mess, they should start giving their children different names.
